Matthew 7-8 (ESV) by Wordle*

Today’s reading is Matthew 7:1-8:34.

“And the demons begged him, saying ‘If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.’ And he said to them, ‘Go.’ So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men. And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region” (Matthew 8:31-34).

My buddy Clay Gentry pointed this out to me once, I think based on a lesson from John Maxwell.

How on earth could these people ask Jesus to leave their country? He had just demonstrated amazing power. He had saved the lives of these two demon-possessed men. He had cleansed them. What could be better? Think of all the good Jesus could do in their community. If He could cast out these demons, He could help so many people.

But in helping them, He had destroyed their pigs. I’m not sure I fully know all the nuances of this story. But I do know for sure that these folks had totally misplaced priorities. Instead of seeing the great work that Jesus had done for these two men. All the neighbors could think about was the pigs.

Sure, we want Jesus to destroy our demons, but do we want Him to do it on our terms? Do we want Him to save our pigs in the process? Are we willing to let Jesus stay with us even if it means destroying our pigs too?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading? Click the following link to add your input: Post a comment.

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*Today’s illustration was generated by the creative tool at Wordle.net. You can find all my wordles here.

Mark 5-6 (ESV) by Wordle*

Today’s reading is Mark 5:1-6:56.

“And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region” (Mark 5:16-17).

Wow! This is too much like me some of the time. Here they were looking at an obvious miracle. A man had been cleansed of a demon. He had been crazy and destructive. Now he is clothed and in his right mind. But all these people can see is the missing pigs. Instead of being able to see the good Jesus could do for them, they could only see the sacrifice they had to make for this great blessing. Sadly, they decided to hang on to the rest of their pigs rather than let Jesus continue to be a blessing in their society.

That is where I am too often. I know there is blessing in time in the Word, time in prayer, time in discussion with others, time in sharing with others, but too often all I can see is the tv shows I’ll miss, the games I won’t play, the alone time I won’t get, etc. I too often choose the empty, wasted, worthless pigs in my life rather than Jesus who can provide real blessing.

Interestingly, this is the only place where Jesus told a man to tell everyone what God had done for Him. I’m thankful that Jesus continues to leave a reminder for me. The key for me is to take that reminder.

So, today, I want to choose Jesus and not the pigs. (By the way, this is Gentile country, so the pigs do not necessarily represent something that is always bad. I’m not saying I’m never going to watch tv or play games again, just saying I need to keep it in perspective.)

What will you choose today?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading? Click here to add your input.

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*Today’s illustration was generated by the creative tool at Wordle.net. You can find all my wordles here.